Where it all began
After World War 2 improvements in medicine meant that a lot more wounded soldiers would survive but many would have permanent physical injuries. Veterans in the USA and Great Britain began to invent games and compete against each other to help them get strong and regain a sense of normalcy. The movement grew quickly from there to include Intercollegiate Programs, National Organizations and eventually the Paralympic Games. We are grateful for the courage of these brave innovators that have improved outcomes for people with disabilities in health, education and employment.
Where we are now
Currently there are 28 Paralympic sports, 22 in the summer games and 6 in the winter games. Undoubtedly wheelchair basketball is the most widely played Para-Sport in the world. In the USA alone there are more than 100,000 wheelchair basketball players. Under the NWBA there 225 teams in 42 states. There are divisions for Men, Women, High Performance, Collegiate, Division I, Division II, Division III, Junior and Prep. The movement continues to grow and more sports like Wheelchair Football, Wheelchair Lacrosse, Adaptive Pickleball, climbing, surfing keep being added as athletes take these new sports to elite levels.